Chelle's Blue and Sparkly Corner

I updated my display shelf today with my Guardians of the Galaxy figures, so I thought I would take a moment to explain what memories/ figures are being shown here. Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. These are some of the first books that Joshua actually took an interest in reading. Bedtime Bear - I had the original Care Bears when I was a little girl, and all three of my boys had their own too. Bedtime Bear happened to be Anthony's favorite when he was an itty bitty. Minions - Do I even need to explain? Smurfs - Smurfs used to be one of those Saturday morning cartoons I would wake up to watch! Rise of the Guardians - I really liked this movie. Guardians of the Galaxy - Groot! Dopey - I never cared much for the movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but I always thought Dopey was adorable! Cabbage Patch Kid - I had a few of these dolls when I was younger. Plus, she is dressed in green and white, which were my school colors, and she has a C on her sweater (which I thought for the longest time stood for Chelle!) Yoda - Star Wars. This was actually my brother's. No idea why I have it, but it is mine now! Blue hippo Christmas ornament - I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas! My boys and I all love to hear this song come on the radio at Christmas. It's the best! My Little Ponies - I had so many of these when I was in elementary school. So many! These were some of my favorite toys as a little girl!

Another do-it-yourself recipe I have been utilizing for the past couple of weeks . . . As the holidays approach, more and more scented candles are found on store shelves. While I love candles, I dislike that they are used so quickly. I work from home so I am here most of the day on an everyday basis. If I burn a candle near my desk while I am working, a candle just does not last long enough. I like to have the reminder of past Christmas or Thanksgiving holidays however. I saw a few posts and recipes on Pinterest about making a home fragrance with a few things you probably have already or spices that can be bought fairly cheaply (definitely cheaper than buying scented candles. Have you seen the prices on some of those?) I chose to use what I already had here. Tom and Anthony both noticed this while it was simmering on the stove too so it definitely works and makes the house just seem warmer and family-friendly. I brought the pot at first to a boil just because I was in the kitchen trying to get a few things accomplished and I wanted to see if I liked the fragrance. I did. I chose more of what I consider a holiday fragrance. It reminds me of Thanksgiving and it reminds me of Christmas too. I used cloves, cinnamon sticks and orange peels. I would actually like to try mixing in also cranberries but I don’t have any of those readily available. Can also try apple peels if you have those available, maybe. Maybe even add in some nutmeg or even ginger. I think it all depends on creating a fragrance that you like.

I used2-3 cinnamon sticks (but you could also use 2-3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon)1 teaspoon cloves1 or 2 orange peels (but you could also use whatever you have available . . . lemon peels, apple peels)

Leave the pot on simmer (the lowest setting you have) and just remember to refill the water throughout the day so it does not empty. Before you realize it, your house will smell like a home with wonderful fragrances of holidays and family. If anyone has any other variations they have tried with this method, please let me know.

I also recently decided to make my own bath salts, which conveniently had similar ingredients to a homemade fabric softener I wanted to try so I got 2 different household products out of the same ingredients.I had used plain Epsom salts and I looked at the store for the scented salts, but they are a bit expensive (to me). So I was adding the plain Epsom salts and then adding a few drops of a variety of essential oils that I happened to have. It clicked in my mind, why don’t I just put these together? It makes sense to me. Why do people put Epsom salts in their bathes? Well, I can tell you some of the most widely accepted reasons but I can’t assure you of their truth and accuracy. The absorption of the magnesium and sulfate is supposed to help with improved heart and circulatory health, flushing toxins out of your system, improved nerve function, relieves stress, reduces inflammation to relieve joint pains and muscle cramps, improve absorption of nutrients and even prevention or easing of migraine headaches.When I made my own scented Epsom salt, I chose to use a mixture of 2 essential oils just because I could not choose between the two. I used a lavender essential oil and a jasmine essential oil.The benefits of lavender are spectacular! I use lavender lotion and if any of the pets have gotten fleas, they never bother me and I stand by the fact that it is because I use lavender. I even keep a lavender spray that I will use. Lavender is also supposed to be beneficial for headache and migraine relief (noticing a pattern here?) stiff joints and sore muscles. The aroma of jasmine is thought to have properties of an antidepressant and a sleep aid.I don’t like an overbearing fragrance so I used 10 drops to each cup of Epsom salts. In the container I used to store this, I had 4 cups of epsom salt, so I added 20 drops of the lavender oil and 20 drops of the jasmine oil. It is subtle, maybe not as overbearing as some store-bought bath salts, but I like the more subtle fragrance anyway.When you are filling the bathtub with water, add 1/4¼ cup of the lavender-jasmine salts. It will be pleasant.While you have the Epsom salts out, you can also make a homemade fabric softener.For the fabric softener, I used lavender and sandalwood essential oils.

The lavender (as mentioned previously, as a bug repellent) but it also promotes sleep and has a calming property so it can help with anxiety and nervous issues.

The scent of sandalwood is a sweet aromatic wood scent and encourages a deep relaxation.Use 10 drops of essential oil to each cup of Epsom salts.The container I have to keep this mixture filled just over half with 4 cups of Epsom salts, so then I added 20 drops of lavender oil and 20 drops of sandalwood oil. I liked the mixture of these fragrances.Add a 1/4 cup of the mixture per load (or more if you wash big amounts of clothes at a time.) Add at the same time that you add your laundry detergent into the washer so it’s convenient. The clothes had a subtle smell to them, not enough that my oldest son would complain about the lavender but enough that the clothes smelled good.

So I have recently found myself in quite the Do-It-Yourself mood and I have tried various recipes but thought I would share a few that left me pleasantly surprised and quite happy with the results. Back at the end of May, I began eating gluten free. At first it was a bit daunting as the one ingredient I need to avoid is wheat or any deritive thereof. You would not believe just how many items have some form of wheat.We usually cook tacos (I like to use the Scoops chips and call them mini tacos) once every couple of weeks, and yes . . . most of the taco seasonings I have found at the grocery store have wheat. There is a gluten-free taco seasoning available that is actually quite good (I can’t tell a difference in the taste) but like most food items that are gluten free, it is more expensive than just regular taco seasoning. So I had this idea to make a homemade taco seasoning. I wasn’t sure what to expect but this recipe is actually really good, and it’s just the spices. No added preservatives or dyes or any of those hard-to-pronounce words that can sometimes be found in the ingredient list of store-bought items. I looked at a couple of recipes on Pinterest before finally altering and changing the ingredients to come up with this one.Taco Seasoning

3 teaspoons paprika3 teaspoons dried oregano1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning1-1/2 teaspoons minced onion3 teaspoons garlic powder6 teaspoons chili powder6 teaspoons ground cumin1/2 teaspoon black pepper1/2 teaspoon sea saltThis amount filled the spice dispenser I use. If you wanted to make a smaller amount to try it first, pretty much just use a third of each ingredient (1 teaspoon instead of 3 teaspoons, for example.)Then when you want to cook with it, add 2 teaspoons, or a little more if you prefer more flavor and/or spiciness. I don’t like really spicy foods but I was happy with this.